Portable electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets detect and translate input of various modes using various sensors in addition to touch gestures on a touchscreen. Examples of the various input modes include: gestures, Air Gesture motions, changes in device orientation, proximity of an external object, and so forth. Examples of the various sensors include: an infrared camera, capacitive proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and so forth. Some of these input modes become either completely inaccessible or not easily interacted with when the portable electronic device is coupled to and carried by a head-mounted apparatus for near-eye viewing. As sensors that are on the screen side (“front”) of the portable electronic device get enclosed by the apparatus, the fields of view of the sensors become difficult to access.